Here we are at Chapter 111. We're almost done and RWBY volume 8 is almost here. Time to see how the battle for Mantle continues for the gang, I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 112. Enjoy.
Chapter 112: The Shadow of Fear
The battle for Mantle continues on. With the populace less panicked, and with airships flying in and out to evacuate the people, the levels of negativity have decreased, resulting in the number of Grimm attacking the city to go down as well. However, the gang still have a lot more fighting ahead of them. In one sector of the city, Velvet fights with Ruby, Melina, Penny, and Harriet as they push back the Grimm while another airship loads up on civilians. A Sabre lunges at Velvet, but she makes a quick swing of her arm blade and slices through the attack. Ruby kneels behind her, her sniper-scythe aimed and cocked. She fires off a few shots, taking out three more Sabres that run at her girlfriend. Harriet races by them as she moves to throw a haymaker into the skull of another Sabre. Penny flies through the air, firing her laser beams to cut through two Manticores in the air, followed by sending out her blades in a spinning formation to slice through a third. Melina jumps off the side of a building to smash her tonfas onto the last Sabre of the pack. A moment later, the airship closes its doors and takes off towards Atlas.
"The evacuation seems to be going well. The less people in the city means the less negativity for the Grimm to be drawn to," Velvet notes.
Harriet rejoins them, "That may be true, but we can't lower our guard just yet. There are still Grimm attacking the city and more just outside it. This fight's far from over,"
Ruby pulls out her scythe, "Then we'd better keep moving. Where's the next landing zone?"
"It's northeast from here. Another airship is preparing to land there to load up on passengers. This way," Melina says and the group head off to the next area.
In another part of Mantle, Weiss conjures up a black glyph to stop an attacking Beowolf cold. Yang comes in and makes a few quick punches, sticking several of her timed rounds onto its back, and then jumps off. Weiss flings the Grimm high into the air and Yang detonates the charges, killing the Grimm in a fiery explosion. Meanwhile, Elm swings her hammer down on another Beowolf, smashing it into the ground. An Ursa charges at her, but Elm hold her ground with her semblance and holds back the Ursa with her hammer. She pushes it back and then swings her hammer upwards, knocking it onto its hind legs. Marrow throws his boomerang, which flies in and slashes the Ursa's head off. The body falls as the Ace Ops members group up.
"How many civilians have been evacuated already?" Elm asks.
Marrow checks his scroll, "Not enough. Nowhere near enough. We just have to keep this up. Reinforcements will be here soon,"
Just then, three Goliaths come in from around the corner and head towards them and their airship, which is still loading up civilians.
Yang grits her teeth, "Not soon enough if you ask me,"
Elm changes her hammer into its rocket launcher form and fires off a pair of missiles. The missiles take out two of the Goliaths, but the third one is still charging. Marrow makes the first move by throwing his boomerang at one of its front legs. The attack does enough to trip the Goliath up and causing it to fall and slide across the ground. The other three charge at it, with Elm making the first strike with a hammer smash onto the skull. Yang and Weiss fire off a combination of shots and fire blasts at the Grimm, weakening it. The Goliath starts to get back on its feet, but Weiss conjures up the right arm of her Armas Gigas summon with its sword. The arm releases the sword and Yang jumps up to through a hard right punch on the handle, shooting the sword like a bullet straight through the Goliath's skull. The Grimm dissipates as the gang watch their airship take off back into the skies.
"That's another one out of here," Yang says and then checks on her girlfriend. "You okay, Weiss?" Yang asks.
Weiss nods, "I'm okay. I'm not out of this fight yet."
Elm steps forth, "Good, because we're not done yet. The evacuation has been going smoothly so far. At this rate, we should have the rest of Mantle safely evacuated to Atlas within the hour,"
Weiss looks on at the city solemnly, "Once again, my family caused Mantle to suffer... I feel somewhat responsible for this. My father gave Watts the ability to do this, all because he wanted to win some stupid election, and he didn't care how he did it or who he hurt in the process,"
Yang gently takes Weiss' hand in hers and plants a kiss on it, "This isn't your fault, Weiss. Your father didn't care about anyone but himself. But you're different. You're here to protect the people of Mantle, and Remnant. Because unlike him, you care. That's one of the reasons why I love you so much. Because you care,"
Yang's words help Weiss smile again and strengthen her resolve. Weiss kisses Yang on the cheek, making her blush despite the situation they're in.
Marrow rolls his eyes, "Um, if you two are done with your little moment, we still have a mission to complete,"
Yang and Weiss shake their heads out of their stupor, "Um, uh, right. Where's the next landing zone?" Yang asks.
"Follow me," Marrow says and leads the way as the group follows.
The battle continues at a steady pace as the gang clear the sectors of Grimm and evacuate the civilians one by one. It gets even better when they hear from Clover that he, Qrow, and Robyn managed to take down and apprehend Tyrian Callows, thus eliminating another threat to the city. Everything seems to be going well, until they suddenly get new orders from Ironwood to return to Atlas Academy. A few minutes later, they are on one airship heading for Atlas, but with more questions now.
Weiss look out the airship window, confused, "I don't understand. Why would the General call us back without giving us a reason?"
"Especially with the evacuations still underway. Mantle isn't safe from the Grimm yet either," Ren adds.
Elm looks back from the co-pilot seat, "You don't have to understand orders, kids. You just have to follow them," Elm then faces forward again.
"Civilian transports aren't stopping anytime soon on the evacuation efforts. But, if the General needs us now, he needs us now. I'm sure it will be fine," Harriet says.
Velvet crosses her arms, "Somehow, I can't help but feel otherwise... What is going through Ironwood's metal head right now?"
Jaune tries to be proactive, "Alright, listen; you guys go talk to the General. We'll go find Oscar and we'll meet you later. Just focus on finding out what's going on."
The group nod in reply. When they reach Atlas Academy, they head straight to Ironwood's office with the Ace Ops in tow. They find him sitting in his chair, with his back to them.
Velvet has a hand on her hip, "Alright, what's the deal with pulling us out of Mantle?"
Ironwood slowly turns to them, an exhausted look on his face, with his left arm injured, "We have made... a critical error," he places two items down on his desk: a black queen chess piece and a comb that looks a lot like Velvet's.
Velvet's eyes widen as she stares at the comb and pulls out hers, finding the two eerily similar, except the second comb is dark in colors, almost like an evil twin.
"I do not know the meaning behind the comb, the black queen was the symbol Salem showed us before we lost everything... Before the Fall of Beacon. Her way of telling us that she was here, and that there was nothing we could do to stop her. We stopped Watts, we stopped Callows, but someone was here. They put these things in my office to tell ME that-what if this was all just a distraction. What if the attack on Mantle was just to draw us away from Atlas? So, they could-could-," Ironwood begins to lose it.
"General, you need to get your head back on straight. Mantle is on our side now," Velvet says.
"What if that was also part of their plan? What if they wanted us to bring thousands of people from Mantle into Atlas? To have more lives clumped up together in the same place?" Ironwood asks, his demeanor worrying the members of Team RVWBY.
Vine looks down, "In trying to protect everyone else, we left ourselves unprotected,"
"Salem has been ahead of us this entire time!" Ironwood slams his fist on the table.
This causes the chess piece to fall onto its side, and the comb to fall onto the floor. Velvet walks up and picks up the comb, comparing it to her own.
Ironwood stares at her, "What is it?"
Velvet's eyes slowly widen, "This comb... It's an exact replica of mine. The only difference is the color, but... that's impossible, unless..."
"Unless what?" Ironwood asks.
"...My comb was a gift from my younger brother, Laphicet. It was one of a kind, back in my village back home... There were no others like it and the only ones who knew about it were myself, Phi, and my brother... but then that would mean..." Velvet looks up as she stares out the window. "...The cloaked figure from Haven... It was Innominat," she realizes.
Ruby steps forth, "Wait, you mean the guy who was working with your brother-in-law, Artorius? The one you had to stop in order to save your home?"
"Yes, which means he must've been the one that attacked us at Haven. And he's the one that put these here. Which means... he's here and he's working with Salem now," Velvet says.
Ironwood holds his face, "But... if what Oscar said was true and he's that dangerous, then there's a possibility that Hazel's here too,"
Blake steps forth, "General, this isn't over. We're here with you,"
Ironwood then looks up and stares at them, "...Are you with me?" he asks, causing Blake and Velvet to retreat and rejoin their friends. Ironwood walks around his desk. "How did Robyn Hill know about the global communications tower?"
His question causes the Ace Ops to look at Team RVWBY. However, Velvet is the first to speak.
"I told here. The night we went looking for her. I got her to return some of the supplies she stole in exchange for a little information," Velvet confesses.
Elm is the first to speak, "You did what?"
Velvet stands her ground, "You wanted more allies on your side, so that's what I did,"
"By going behind our backs?!" Marrow demands.
"You wanted Robyn on your side, and now she is. You can't expect people to give you everything and not have them get something in return. That's how trust is built," Velvet retorts.
Harriets gets in Velvet's face, "And you just let her escape?"
"Taking her into custody wouldn't have solved anything and you know it," Velvet argues.
"We didn't know that for sure!" Ironwood says.
Weiss holds her head, "None of that matters right now!"
"Loyalty always matters!" Ironwood yells.
Suddenly, the bag that Ironwood took from Watts, which had been sitting on his desk, springs open and out pops a Seer Grimm. The sight stuns the group, with Ironwood aiming his pistol at it.
The Seer Grimm floats in the air, "...General Ironwood..." a female voice rings out. The Seer's tentacles constrict and retract as it looks like its in pain before it head cracks and then it falls onto the floor. From the crack, black smoke flows out of the Seer's head, morphing into the form of Salem who looms over everyone. "The brave huntsmen and huntresses who bested Tyrian Callows and Arthur Watts. Congratulations."
Ruby stays brave as she faces Salem for the first time, "Yeah, we stopped them. And we'll stop whoever else you send our way, and then we'll stop you just like we stopped them. You won't win this fight,"
Salem merely offers a small smirk, "Dear child, their goal was never to achieve victory. It was merely to set the stage."
Ironwood keeps his pistol aimed at her, "For what exactly?"
Salem turns to him and smirks, "For me," she says, shocking all of them. "Time has never been on your side, James. It has always been on mine. The people of Atlas and Mantle have suffered enough. Why drag this pointless chaos on? Surrender the Relics of Knowledge and Creation to me, and their suffering can finally come to an end."
Ironwood lowers his pistol as she looms over him, "That's... never going to happen. You say their suffering will end, but we all know what you really mean by that."
Salem leans close to his face, "Simply accept the futility of your situation, and this bloodshed can all be over. I will offer you the peace you always wanted."
"Get over yourself," Salem turns to face Velvet and Ruby. "We know what you are. We know what you've done and what you can do. The lamp showed us. You may be immortal... but you're not omnipotent. Just like the humans you degrade so much, you have also failed," Velvet says.
Ruby steps forth, "You failed at Haven, and you will fail here at Atlas. We don't have to kill you to stop you... And we will stop you," she declares.
Salem moves to face the pair, "Your mother said those exact same words to me,"
Her words stun Ruby, "My... mother?"
"She failed too," Salem replies.
Velvet's eyes widen, "Is... Is Salem the one who killed Summer?"
Ruby begins to break down, tears flowing from her eyes, as her powers flare from her emotions. Ruby falls onto the floor, holding her head as she cries. Yang comes to her sister's aid and places Ruby's head on her lap.
Salem smirks, but Velvet stands between them, "I'm going to rip you apart, and then I'll eat," she threatens her.
"Velvet Crowe, the demon from another world. Innominat has told me so much about you. I wonder: how is your little brother doing?" Salem taunts her.
Velvet roars and jumps at Salem, swinging her demon claw at her, but only hits mist as Salem's image fades, her sinister smile the last thing visible before it disappears.
"Salem is... Salem is coming here?" Marrow gasps.
"But, we'd know about approaching forces. We have long range sensors. We would've-," Elm begins.
Vine checks his scroll, "They're all offline. We never noticed with all of the chaos down in Mantle,"
"Which most likely means that Salem has already destroyed them... and she's now coming here," Ironwood laments.
"What about the communications tower? Is it really ready to launch, General?" Velvet asks, but he only stares out his window without a word. Velvet realizes why. "No... It was never finished. You only said it was complete... in order to lure out Watts,"
Weiss takes a step forward, "General Ironwood?"
Ironwood keeps his back to them, "I've sent your sister to claim the power of the Winter Maiden,"
Weiss is shocked by his words, "You...what?"
"When I realized that we'd been compromised, I knew we couldn't wait any longer. The staff and the lamp have to be locked away," Ironwood says.
Ruby sits up, "But... you said we could keep it?"
"That was before you lied to me about the lamp. Before you lied to me about Robyn Hill. Before Salem was right at our doorstep. Before Mantle was nearly destroyed and my army left exhausted!" Ironwood seethes as he turns to them.
Harriet composes herself, "What are your orders, sir?"
Ironwood lays down his pistol on his desk and picks up the chess piece, "Our timeline has changed. So, we must change accordingly. We're going to take the plan for Amity tower and apply it to Atlas. It was Oz's idea, once upon a time, but we're going beyond that idea. With the staff, we'll raise Atlas into the atmosphere, far enough out of reach of Salem and whatever she may throw at us. The city's artificial climate will keep the citizens and food supplies safe."
"But what about Mantle? The people down there... will die," Ruby says.
"Yes... I know. And that's the price to pay to keep the relics safe," Ironwood says, no remorse in his voice. This both shocks and angers the members of Team RVWBY. "We can't let Salem get her hands on the relics, or the Maidens. We must keep them safe. Which means, Velvet Crowe, as the Fall Maiden, you must be taken into protective custody,"
"You're joking," Velvet retorts.
"Your power is something Salem wants. It's meant to protect the world. If we can protect Atlas, then the world may still have a chance," Ironwood says.
"Not if you leave it to fall apart, piece by piece, and turn me into a slave. You think you're making a hard decision here, but you're not. The hard choice would be to stand and fight," Velvet says.
"She's right," Ruby and her team stand with her... but the Ace Ops do not.
"Our forces are exhausted. We wouldn't survive against an even greater force. We try to fight this one battle, and we'll lose the war," Vine explains.
"What about what the council will say?" Weiss asks.
"They won't say anything... once I've declared martial law," Ironwood says.
"...No," Weiss gasps.
Velvet gets mad, "So you're just going to give up without a fight? Not even try to save everyone?!"
"We're saving who we can. And you're standing in our way," Ironwood says.
Just then, Ruby gets a call from Jaune on her scroll, "...It's Jaune. We have a big problem,"
Ruby has a stare down at Ironwood, and then uses her semblance to zip around his desk and answers Jaune.
"Ironwood's declaring martial law and abandoning Mantle! Salem is coming and he's going to use the staff to raise Atlas! If we don't stop him, Mantle will be destroyed-What?! No!" Ruby looks and sees that Ironwood cut off her communications with the others.
"I'm sorry it's come to this... But until Atlas and the relics are safe, you are all under arrest," Ironwood says as he walks by them to the door.
We won't just let you take us," Ruby defiantly says.
Ironwood stops at the door, "I know... Velvet Crowe, I'll ask you one more time: are you with us or against us?"
Velvet narrows her eyes, "I took this power so it would never end up in the wrong hands. And that includes yours. I stand with my friends... with my family,"
Ironwood says, "Then so be it," he says and leaves, while the team gets ready to face off against the Ace Ops.
And that's the chapter. Ironwood's paranoia finally consumes him, causing a divide between him and Team RVWBY. Salem is approaching, but first our heroes must fight the Ace Ops. Will they stop Ironwood from leaving Mantle to die? Until then, please Read and Review.
